Exorcists in urgent demand to combat upsurge in Satanism and the occult

The Catholic church is facing an ’emergency’ need for more exorcists due to a rise in Satanism, black magic and the occult.

Church experts say more priests need to be recruited as exorcists because of the growing need to fight the forces of darkness and evil.

In the UK, the Catholic Church blamed Harry Potter, alcohol and pornography on a rise in the number of exorcisms.

Psychologist Dr Valter Cascioli is the scientific consultant to the International Association of Exorcists which is endorsed by the Vatican.

He is unequivocal when he talks about the urgent need for more priests who are capable of carrying out exorcisms.

Occult

Dr Cascioli said: “The lack of exorcists is a real emergency.

“There is a pastoral emergency as a result of a significant increase in the number of diabolical possessions that exorcist priests are confronting.

“The number of people who take part in occult and satanic practices, which lead to serious physical, psychological and spiritual damages, is constantly rising.”

He also wants a permanent university level training college where Catholic priests could learn how to counter the malign influence of the Devil.

Dr Cascioli teaches courses in exorcism at the Pontifical University of Regina Apostolorum, in Rome.

He added: “The number of exorcists has increased in recent years, but there are still not enough to deal with a dramatic situation that affects, above all, young people who use the internet a lot.

Evil

“There is a growing number of requests for help from people who are directly or indirectly struck by evil.

“It is dangerous to underestimate a phenomenon that is caused by the direct actions of the devil, but also by a decline in faith and values.”

Rome-based exorcist, Father Ildebrando Di Fulvio, said people possessed by the devil often vomited metal objects or undigested food and gibbered in Aramaic, ancient Greek or Latin.

Father Gary Thomas, the official exorcist of the diocese of San Jose in northern California, said that in the past 10 years he has performed 50 to 60 exorcisms.

He added: “I am a full-time pastor and this is a very intense ministry. Almost every free night that I have is taken up with exorcisms.”

Last year a week-long exorcism conference in Rome was attended by 160 Catholic priests from around the world, who heard that demonic possession is very real.

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